Second Cause of Muslims not doing /Neglecting work of Dawah o Tabligh
& Islah
It is commonly
perceived that if a person is firm and steadfast in his own Imaan the wrong
belief of others will bring him no harm because of the meaning attached to the
following Ayah of the Quran: O you who believe! Watch out for your own selves
(i.e. your deeds). When you are on the right path, those who go astray cannot
harm you [Surah Al-Mai‟da:105]
1.
In fact, the real meaning and sense of the
above Ayah is not what is being apparently attached to it, because in that
case, the meaning would appear to be against the Divine wisdom and spirit and
against the teachings of the Shariah which considers the collective life,
progress and salvation of the Muslim society as a whole to be fundamental.
2.
The
Muslim people must be considered like a single body having several limbs and
when any limb receives an injury, the whole body suffers from the pain.
3.
Mankind
may progress to any limit and it may reach the highest peak of glory in any
sphere of life, yet there will be some who will go wrong and become involved in
godlessness.
4.
In
such an event, the above Ayah reassures the righteous people that as long as
they remain steadfast and keep moving along the right path, no harm can be
brought to them by those who decide to give up the right way of life.
5.
Another
point is that full enlightment will be received only when all the rules of
Shariah are accepted and practiced, including all the Divine commands, which
naturally cover enjoining the good and forbidding the evil.
6.
This
interpretation is supported by the following words of Sayyidina Abu Bakr (RA): “O people! You quote
this Ayah “O you who believe! Watch out for your own selves (i.e. your deeds).
When you are on the right path, those who go astray cannot harm you [Surah
Al-Mai‟da:105] But I have heard Sayyidina Rasul-ullah (Sallallahu
„alayhi wa sallam) say that when people see something evil and do not seek to
change it, Allah will send down punishment for all of them.” [Tafsser Ibn
Katheer]
7.
The
Ayah in question has been similarly explained by all the truly learned
personalities such as Imam Nawawi (RA) who explains in his book Sharh Muslim: “The agreed opinion
of the learned personalities regarding the meaning of this Ayah is that When
you have performed the duty enjoined on you, the carelessness of those who
refuse to profit by your counsel will not harm you as Allah (SWT) says “No one
shall carry another man's burden [Surah Al-Faatir:18]”.
8.
And
of the several commandments addressed to all, one is that regarding enforcement
of good and prevention of evil. Therefore when an individual has performed this
duty and the addressee does not obey, the former shall not be penalized for it.
He has performed his duty of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil and
acceptance or rejection of it by the other party is not within his ability.”
